Minimalist homes are often considered to be attractive but rather bland and not easy spaces to live comfortably in. But the appeal of minimalist living is not in excluding comfort but in embracing a calm, less stressful environment.

Many people have an impression of a minimalist home as a mostly white, bland space with very little furniture and a not very welcoming feel. But a truly minimal home can also be comfortable and reflect something of the owner’s character with carefully selected statement decorations. Minimalist living is not about removing comfort and personality from a space but about injecting a calm, stress-free atmosphere by removing all clutter and storing the majority of necessary items out of sight.

As with all styles of decorating and living, there are different levels of minimalism that work for different people but every minimal home will have some of these common elements:

Clear surfaces – the majority of visible flat surfaces will be clear of any items. There may be a few open bookcases and the kitchen surfaces may contain a few items that are impractical to store away such as the kettle and toaster, but, in general, even the most frequently used items will have an allotted storage space inside a cupboard or drawer.

Simple Furniture – rooms will only contain essential furniture and it will all be of a simple, elegant design, without any fancy decorative touches. Soft furnishings will be in neutral, or pale, muted colours and there will be no patterns in sight.

Simple Window Treatments – a minimal room may have curtains but they will be a plain feature of the room (no tie-backs, pelmets or fancy rails) but more often the windows will be unadorned or have just a simple blind for privacy.

Plain Neutral or Muted Colours – one of the ways of creating the calm atmosphere of a minimalist room is to use neutral and soft, muted colours only starting with plain walls and contemporary tile flooring or a classic wooden floor. This will not create a bland or cold room if combined with some textural elements in the furniture. There will be a distinct absence of any patterns however subtle.

Personal Touches – it is important for a home to reflect something of the character of the owner and no one would wish to live in a completely impersonal space so a few carefully chosen items will be on display; maybe an elegant Scandinavian vase on the window ledge or a simply framed family photo on the coffee table.

Decoration – good paintings often play an important part in the design of a minimalist space; they enable colour, texture and vibrancy to be added to a room without encroaching on the physical space. They also reflect the personality of the owner and bring character to the room to prevent it from seeming too bland.

Abundant storage space – this is the most essential element in any minimalist home, without which a minimal lifestyle would be impossible. The storage space should be abundant but also well organised with a defined space for every item that needs to be stored away.

To many of us moving to a new house it may seem like an impossible ideal to live in a minimalist home but it is possible to start to move towards that calmer and more serene way of living by taking one step at a time. Start by de-cluttering and creating plenty of storage cupboards and drawers. Attempt to make the easiest rooms minimal first – those that already have the least amount of furniture and clutter and discard all but the most essential pieces of furniture. Next, redecorate in neutral colours and you are already nearly there.

The act of redecorating a room will involve removing almost everything from the room so it is then simply a matter of resisting the temptation to put everything back again. Review every item again, even if you think you have already discarded everything possible there is always the opportunity to remove even more stuff. Try to ensure that all flat surfaces are completely clear and store away the essential items you have kept in their pre-allocated space in the storage cupboards. It is vital that a minimalist home has plenty of good, well-organised storage space from which items are easily accessible.

Welcome To Our Guides

Our simple guides are aimed at helping those of you who own your own property to make improvements that both change your lifestyle for the better but also add value to your home. They are for those who are planning to move house, want to buy a house, have just moved to a new home or have been in your current house for a while but have lost enthusiasm and are looking for home improvement ideas and interior design tips.

We have simple tips for home improvements on a budget, including colour and design advice courtesy of Lorelei from ImpulseBlogger.com and more technical advice on things like how to install tiles or create a wet room. We even like to recommend some good art for your walls from time to time if something catches our eye.

We also love looking at clever storage solutions that make the most of the storage in your home but if you really don’t have enough storage we are big fans of decluttering and have plenty of advice to help you achieve a clutter-free home. Or, failing that we know some good places to find cheap self-storage (like the lovely people over at Cambridge Self Storage) and where you can compare self storage prices if you really can’t bear to part with all your stuff.

So take a look around – we hope you find something of interest…

The Ultimate Guide To Decluttering

When you enter your home, you want to come in to a place that promotes peace and calm after a busy day. Whether you are returning home from work, a school run, or shopping, or as you get older, when you spend more and more time in your own home. When you enter a house that has had a good declutter you will find it is easier to relax and enjoy the space that you live in.

When your house is untidy and cluttered, it can make you feel on edge as you are surrounded by things that you may not really want or even need. Even if you have a cluttered house that is actually tidy (with lots of clever storage units), there is still the dreaded moment of opening the cupboards to try and find something that you are looking for that is buried beneath clutter.

According to the inimitable Eric at Eric Land Mentoring living in a clutter free home will definitely make life less stressful, make for a calmer lifestyle and make it easier to find things when you need them.

Even the older generation are benefiting from this trend as more and more of them choose to remain in their own homes as they become less mobile and less able to care for themselves. Clear spaces with little clutter then become not only calm, restful spaces but also practical and safer spaces for them. As elderly people increasingly find that homecare or 24/7 care suits their needs they are discovering that contemporary spaces with practical tile flooring and wet rooms make their lives easier.